This Date In Central Minnesota History: February 24th, 1854
February 24th, 1854 – First white child born in Stearns County
John Becker was an early pioneer in Stearns County history. He arrived here in 1853 and raised the first crop of wheat on Sylvanus Lowry’s Farm (Sylvanus Lowry founded Upper Town, one of the three settlements that would become St. Cloud).
He brought his wife Marrion to join him, and she is credited with being the first white woman on the west side of the Mississippi River. They settled on what would become Waite Park.
On February 24th, 1854, Marrion gave birth to a daughter, Laura Ella. This was the first white child born in Stearns County.
Laura Ella Becker would marry George McLane and reside in Brown’s Valley, Minnesota.
She died there on October 18, 1933.
Our "This Date In Central Minnesota History" series is a joint effort with the Stearns History Museum.
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